Closure



Aug 1941- I o. D. KINGSLAND 2,254,150

CLOSURE Filgd April 18, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet l z amm szma Aug. 26,1941.

0. D. KINGSLAND CLOSURE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 awe/who l IIIIIITTIII Filed April l8, 1940 Patented Aug. 26, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLOSURE Oliver D. Kingsland, Rochester, N. Y. Application April 18, 1940, Serial No. 330,417 7 Claims. (01. 268-) This invention relates to a vertical sliding gate or door comprising a plurality of slidably mounted gate or door sections and means for raisin and lowering said sections for positioning them in a raised, nested position, for opening the door 5 r or corresponding parts throughout the different or gate, and in a lowered, extended position for closing the door or gate.

More particularly, it is an aim of this invention to provide a door or gate including a plurality of door or gate sections slidably mounted 10,

in a perpendicularframe including means for simultaneously opening and closing the gate or door sections.

Still another aim of the invention is to provide'a safety device carried by the lowermost 15,

door or gate section and adapted to be actuated by the lower edge of said section contacting an obstruction for actuating latch means for latching the sections against movement relatively to their frame.

Still another object of the invention is to provide means, including a reversible electric motor for driving the shafts to which are connected flexible supporting members for raising and lowering the gate or door sections, and a switch mounted'in the circuit of the motor to open or break the circuit to the motor should the weight of one or more of the door or gate sections be removed therefrom.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure l is a front elevational view, partly in section, of the sliding door or gate,

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the plane of the line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of a portion of one side of the gate or door substantially at a right angle to the plane of FigureZ, showing the latch means for holding the gate or door sections in a secured position relatively to the frame,

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the circuit for controlling the electric motor,

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken substantially along the plane of the line 55 0f Figure 1,

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the plane of the line 6-6 of Figure 5,

Figure 7 is a top plan view of the door or gate, and

Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along theplane of the line 88 of Figure 6,

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like views, In designates generally the door or gate and includes generally an upright arch shaped frame II and a door or gate l2 comprising three door or gate sections orpanels l3, l4 and I5.

The frame ll includes the upright, spaced hollow pillars l6 and a horizontal member I! which is supported on the upper ends of the pillars l6 and which includes the hollow end portions or housings H, which rest on the upper ends of the pillars IS. The adjacent sides of the pillars 16 are provided with grooves l8 in which are slidably'mounted the sections or panels l3, l4 and I5, one ofv said panels or sections being slidably ,mounted in each of the grooves l8, as best seen in Figure2.. A shaft I9 is journaled in each of the portionsv l1 and supports three sprocket wheels 20, 2| and 22, which are keyed to the shaft and disposed within the portion [1. As bestseen in Figure 5, the sprocket wheels 2| are of greater diameterftha'n the sprocket wheels 20 and the sprocket wheels 22 are of greater diametc! than the sprocket wheels 2 I.

Chains 23 are trained over the sprockets 20 and are connected at their corresponding ends to the panel or section 13. Chains 24 are similarly mounted relatively to the sprockets 2| and are connected to the panel [4 and chains 25 are similarly trained over the sprockets 22 and connected to panelfl5. The chains 23, 24 and 25 are disposed in the'grooves t8 and extend into the end portions I? through openings 26 in the bottoms thereon A shaft 21 is mounted in each of portions I1, s'aidshafts being disposed between a series ofthe openings 26 and a shaft I9 to mount a plurality of idler sprocket wheels 28 which are rotatably mounted on the shafts 21 and over which the chains- '23, 24 and 25 are trained to posit-ion the chains to'extend perpendicularly of thepillars I6to prevent them from binding in the grooves l8 and in the openings 26. p

The end portions 11 are provided with openin s; 29 which communicate with the pillars H5 and through which the opposite ends of the said chains 23, new 25 extend. The chains 23 and 25, in each ofsa id sets, are joinedor formed integral at their opposite ends and said joined or integral ends-are trained over pulleys 30, each of which is' journal'd in a hanger 3! which supports a sashweig ht 32and which is provided with a hook or eyelet 33 at its top to which is connected the free end of a chain 24. It will thus be seen that each set of chains 23, 24 and 25 is connected to a sash weight 32, one of which is disposed in each of the pillars IS. The two sash weights combine to counter-balance the weight of the panels or sections I3, I4 and I5.

The reversible electric motor 34 is mounted in the member I1, intermediate of its ends, and is provided with a driven shaft 35 to which is keyed a worm 36. A shaft 31, formed of three sections which are connected by universal joints 38, includes an intermediate section which is journaled, adjacent its ends in the bearings 39 which are secured to the member I1. The said intermedi ate section is provided with a Worm gear 49 which meshes with the worm 36 for driving the shaft 31. Referring particularly to Figures 5 and 7, the remote ends of the end sections of the shaft 31 are journaled in the yoke shaped bearings 4| which are provided with intermediate bearing portions 42 in which are journale'd the forward ends of the shafts I9 which shafts support the bearings 4i and thereby support the end sections of the shaft 31. The yoke shaped bearings M are held in place on the shafts I9 by means of pin and groove connections'43. Each of the end sections of the shaft 31 is provided with a worm 44 to mesh with a worm gear 45 keyed to the shaft I9. One of the worms 44 is provided with a right hand thread, while the other worm 44 is provided with a left hand thread $6 that when cylinder 41 is mounted on each of the front and rear walls of the two housings I1, as best seen in Figured. Each of the cylinders 41 is open at its upper end and is provided'with'a'n interiorly disposed collar 49 fixed therein', adjacent its lower end and forming a bearing in which is slidably mounted a plunger rod 49 which is provided at its upper end with a bearing'head 59 for joumaling an end of one of the shafts I 9. Ari expansion coil spring 5| is disposed in each of the'cylinders' 41 with one end thereof bearing against its collar 48 and the opposite end thereof bearing against the bearing head 50 so that the springs 5I'of thefour cylinders combine to urge the two shafts I9 upwardly against the weight 'of sections'l3, I4

and I5 and the sash Weights 32, which are suflicient to hold the springs 5| compressed and the shafts Figure 3.'

A pair of contacts 52 are mounted in the lower end of one of the cylinders 41,'as best seen in Figures6 and 8, and are insulated from one another by means of theinsulation 53. The

plunger 49 of this cylinder 41 is provided at its lower end with a metallic bar 54 which normally I9 in a lowered position, as seen in' the motor 34, said conductor being provided with a switch 58. A conductor 59 extends from the other terminal of the motor 34 to one of the contacts 52 while a conductor 69 extends from the other contact 52 to the opposite side of the battery so that when the switch 58 and the switch 55 are closed the motor 34 will be energized to revolve the shaft 35. As any form of reversible electric motor may be used in operating the panels or closure sections, the switch means for reversing the direction of movement of the motor 34 has not been disclosed as any such means could obviously be employed. A conductor Bl provided with a switch 62 connects the conductors 59 and 69 around the switch 55 so that when the switch 62 is closed its circuit will be completed to the motor 34 with the switch 55 in an open position, through the switch 58, conductors 51, 59 and BI, switch 62 and conductor 60.

Assuming the parts to be in position, as seen in Figure l, the switch 58 and 62 in an open posi tion and the switch 55 held in a closed position by the weight of the panels I3, I4 and I5 and the sash weights 32', the switch 58 is closed to comple te the circuit to the motor 34 for driving the shaft I9, at the right hand side of Figure 1, in a clockwise direction and the other shaft I9 in a counter-clockwise direction. The movement of the shafts is W111 revolve the sprockets 20, 2| and 22 carried thereby to pull upwardly on the nds of thechains 23, 24 and 25 which are attached to the panels or closure sections to cause said sections to be raised, at different speeds, as heretofore explained, due to the difference of the sizes of the sprockets, so that the section I4 will be moving faster than the section I3 and the section I5'will be moving faster than section I4 to cause the three sections to reach the raised, open posi- V v tion' simultaneously with said sections in a nested 4O position relatively to each other. The sash weights 32' counter balance the weight of the closure section's. When'the sash weights 32 move downwardly the ends of the chains 25; which are joined with the ends of the chains 23, will be 'pay e'd out relatively'to the hangers 3| thereby 32 to thereby allow the panels or sections I3, I4

and I5 to slide downwardly at the same variable speed so that the panels will simultaneously reach their extended'closed position, as seen in Figure 1. When the sash weights 32 are drawn upwardly the joined ends of chains 23 and 25' will move relatively to the hangers 3| conversely to the manner heretofore described,or in other words, chains 23- will be payed out relatively to the" 1 hangers 3I While the chains 25 will be drawn rests on the contacts 52 to form a connection therebetween. The parts 52, 53' and 54 combine to form a switch, designated generally 55 which is interposed in an electric circuit of the motor 34; as seen in the diagrammatic view, Figure 4." In

this figure, a source of electric current such as a battery indicated at 56 having-aconductor' 51 extendingtherefrom to one of the terminals of I which is disposed therebeneath, and which is adapted to telescope into the section 64, as best seen in Figures 2 and 3. The section 64 is provided with inturned lower edges 66 to engage under the outturned edges Bl of the section 65, as best seen in Figure 2, to hold said sections in connected relationship. 'A depending hanger 68 is secured in section 6'3, adjacent-each end thereof, and extends part'wayinto section 65. A lever 69 is pivotally connected to the lower end of each of the hangers B8 and includes the arms 10 and H which are disposed of obtuse angles to each other and which are provided at their free ends with rollers 12. The chains 23, 24 and 25 are connected to the sides of the panels l3, l4 and by means of brackets 73, one of which is seen in Figure 3. The brackets 13, carried by the panel l5, are also provided with pins 14 to which are pivotally connected the upper ends of a pair of pawls 15 which are provided with fiat relatively wide heads 16, at their lower ends, which extend through slots H in the side edges of the panel l5 and into the lower rail 63, as best seen in Figure 3. The pawl 75, as seen in Figure 3, isshown in its normal, retracted position with the inner edge of its head portion 16 engaging'against the roller 12 of one of the arms H to hold the lever 69, of which said arm H forms a part, in a position so that arm H! will extend downwardly and be disposed with its roller 72 engaging the base portion of telescoping section 85. A perpendicularly disposed rack bar 18 is secured to each of the pillars l6 and extends into the opening of the frame II, as best seen in Figure 1 (this latch structure, as heretofore described and as best illustrated in Figure 3, is claimed in my co-pending application entitled Safety latch for sliding closures, filed November 20, 1940, and bearing Serial No. 366,493).

Assuming that the panels I3, l4 and I5 are moving downwardly or toward a closed, extended position and their path is obstructed, as by means of a person standing in the frame opening, section 65 of the bottom rail 63 will strike the obstruction and be retracted thereby into the section 64 to thereby swing the arms of the levers 69 upwardly to rock the arms ll outwarcfly and cause the pawls to be swung outwardly so that the portions 19 of their heads 16 will engage corresponding notches of the rack bars 18 to latch the panel l5 relatively to the frame II. This will release a portion of the Weight supported by the shafts I9 to permit the springs 5! to expand to raise the shafts l9 and to open the switch 55 to break the circuit to the motor 34 to thereby prevent further movement of the other panels l3 and Hi. In order to release the panels, the closure must be raised to an open position which is done by reversing the motor and closing the switch 62 to thereby complete the circuit to the motor 34 and start the panels moving upwardly and to cause the switch 55 to resume its closed position to again complete the original circuit, at which time switch 62 can be again opened and the original circuit controlled by means of the switch 58. Should one or more of the chains 23, 24 and 25 break thereby releasing a portion of the lead from the shafts is the springs 5| will expand to break the circuit through the switch 55 in the same manner as heretofore described.

Various modifications and changes in the construction and arrangement of the parts forming the sliding gate or door are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to as the drawings and'description thereof are only intended as an illustration and description of a preferred form of the invention.

I claim as'my invention:

1. A gate comprising an upright frame, a plurality of panels slidably mounted in said frame for closing the frame opening when disposed in an extended position relatively to each other, a shaft journaled in the upper portion of said frame, a plurality of sprocket wheels, of different diameters, keyed to the shaft, chains connected to said panels, at corresponding ends thereof, and trained over said sprocket wheels, a weight connected to the opposite ends of said chains for counterbalancing the weight of said panels, said shaft being rotatable for simultaneously raising and lowering the panels, at different speeds, whereby the panels will simultaneously reach an extended position for closing the frame openingor a nested position at the top of the frame for exposing the frame opening, an upright rack bar formed in one side of said frame, said lower-most panel being provided with a bottom rail formed of telescoping sections, a rocker arm pivotally mounted in said bottom rail, and latch means connected to said bottom panel and engaging an end of said rocker arm, and said rocker arm being actuated when said telescoping sections are retracted for moving the latch means into engagement with the rack bar for latching the bottom panel to the frame and for cooperating with the chains and sprocket wheels for holding the other panels from moving downwardly in the frame.

2. A closure comprising an upright arch, forming a closure frame, three closure sections slidably mounted in said frame, a shaft journaled in the upper portion of the arch, three sprocket wheels of different diameters keyed to said shaft,

chains connected to said closure sections and trained over said sprocket wheels for raising and lowering the sections when the shaft is revolved whereby the closure sections will be moved simultaneously at different speeds for either simultaneously positioning the sections in an extended position relatively to each other, or in a nested position, said chains being of different lengths, the longer chain being trained over the largest sprocket and connected to the lower-most closure section, the next longest chain being connectedto the intermediate closure section and trained over the intermediate sized sprocket wheel, and the shortest chain being connected to the upper-most closure section and trained over the smallest sprocket Wheel, and a weight having a supporting hanger provided with a pullay, the longest and shortest chains being joined at their opposite ends and trained over said pulley, and the intermediate chain being connected to said hanger, said weight forming a counter-balance weight for the three closure sections.

3. A closure comprising a frame, a plurality of closure sections slidably mounted therein, a shaft journaled in the upper portion of the frame, sprocket wheels of different diameters keyed to said shaft, chains connected to said closure sections and trained over the sprocket wheels for raising and lowering the sections when the shaft is revolved whereby the closure sections will be moved at different speeds for either simultaneously positioning the sections in an extended or in a nested position, relatively to each other, an electric reversible motor connected to said shaft for rotating it in either direction for raising and lowering said closure sections, a switch connected to the electric circuit of said motor including a plunger having a bearing portion forming a journal for said shaft, said switch being normally held in a closed position by the weight of said closure sections which are supported by said shaft, and spring means co-acting against the weight of the closure sections for raising the plunger to open the circuit when one of the chains is broken to thereby reduce the weight on the shaft.

4. A vertically sliding closure comprising a perpendicular, arch shaped frame, a plurality of sections slidably mounted in said frame and combining to form a sliding closure, driven shafts journaled in the upper portion of said frame, flexible supporting means connected to said closure sections, means keyed to said shafts and over which said flexible supporting means are trained for raising lowering the sections when said shafts are revolved, a reversible, electric motor connecting to and driving said shafts for raising and lowering the closure sections, said sections being movable simultaneously at variable speeds to cause the sections to reach a closed, extended position or an open, nested position simultaneously, bearings for journaling said shafts, spring means for urging the said bearings upwardly, and a switch associated with one of said bearings, the weight of said closure sections normally holding said shafts and bearings in a lowered position for closing said switch, said switch being interposed in the electric circuit of said electric motor for breaking the circuit thereto when the weight of closure sections on the shafts is released or reduced.

5. A closure comprising an upright frame, a plurality of closure sections slidably mounted therein, a shaft journaled in the frame, a plurality of sprocket Wheels of different diameters keyed to the shaft, a reversible electric motor for rotating the shaft in either direction, chains connected to the closure sections and trained over the sprocketwheels, said chains being arranged on the sprocket wheels to cause the closure sections to move at variable speeds so as to simultaneously reach open and closed positions, latch means associated with one of the closure sections and frame to latch said section to the frame when it encounters an obstruction in the frame opening and to combine with the sprocket wheels and chains to stop the movement of the other closure section, and a weight actuated switch associated with the shaft and actuated by the first mentioned closure section being latched to the frame for breaking the circuit to the electric motor.

OLIVER D. KJNGSLAND. 

